1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to fishing lures and more particularly to fishing lures of the flexible plastic design which are normally injection molded and are designed to simulate plastic worms, lizards, and other swimming creatures which attract bass and other game fish.
Plastic fishing lures are typically used in cooperation with a lead sinker or helmet which is placed on the fishing line immediately above the hook with the hook projected through the fishing lure in a variety of configurations. The lead sinker or the helmet allows the worm and the hook to sink to the bottom of the lake or reservoir and the worm is retrieved using a variety of rod actions, depending upon the type of fish sought, the water depth and weather conditions. Alternatively, these lures can be used as "trailers" attached to other baits such as the popular "spinner baits" to attract fish.
Many of these plastic lures are characterized by long, thin ribbon tails which are curved or shaped to present wiggling or undulating simulated swimming action in the water when achieved in order to further attract fish to the lure. A variety of tail shapes, sizes, and thicknesses are currently used in many of the plastic fishing lures which are on the market today.
2. Description of Prior Art
Typical of the plastic fishing lures used with good success in catching black bass, small mouth bass, and other game fish is the "curly tail" lure which is characterized by a beaded or smooth body portion having one or more tail segments extending therefrom and curled inwardly or outwardly to a thin ribbon like point. When the lure is retrieved, the lure or the tail unfurls behind the lure and undulates or folds and unfolds as it "swims" through the water to attract fish. Since the lure is shaped from a plastic material it can be easily injection molded in a variety of colors, shapes, and desirable odors can even be synthesized and provided in the lure bodies. Other lures, similar in form, are characterized by a "moving ribbon" appearance as they are drawn through the water.
Other popular fishing lures include the crawfish imitation variety. Crankbaits in color patterns designed to mimic crawfish are perennial popular items, as are plugs sculpted to resemble crawfish. Lures that hint at being crawfish parallel the strong market for recognizable soft plastic craws. The most common variation on the crawfish theme is a small plastic body with a collar or skirt of waving tentacles, often combined with a twin-tail grub trailer.
All of the lures known to this applicant are of this type, but none of the type presented here. None are known to provide complete body undulations as they are drawn through the water.
It is an object of this invention to provide a new soft plastic lure which is characterized by a ridged head portion, a curved U-shaped portion comprising the mid-body, and an enlarged tail ending.
It is the object of this invention to provide or impart separate undulating actions of both the head portion of the lure and the tail portion of the lure.
It is the object of this invention to impart this undulating movement of the head portion as that lure is retrieved from the water in a back and forth manner, wherein the head portion crosses the central plane parallel to the longitudinal axis of the lure as the lure is retrieved from the water. This unique movement of the invention has not been seen heretofore, and unknown in the prior art.
Another object of this invention is to provide a new plastic lure which is characterized by undulating movement of the lure's tail. The movement of the tail portion also crosses the central plane parallel to the longitudinal axis of the lure in a back and forth manner. Again, such undulating movement has not been seen in prior art made of single tails.
Another object of this invention is to provide a new plastic lure which is characterized by movement of both the head portion of the lure and the tail portion of the lure in a simultaneous undulating fashion as the lure is retrieved from the water. Such new and unique swimming action reproduces identical swimming motion, to that of a snake, eel, lizard, or other similar live prey in their natural environment.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a new plastic worm type lure in a variety of sizes duplicating natural lures and other live prey in their natural environment. As such, the tapering tail portion of the lure may be short in the preferred embodiment, and longer extending beyond the head portion in the alternative embodiment. Thus, in the latter embodiment, the lure has a longer tail appearance.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a new plastic worm type lure in a variety of sizes duplicating natural lures and other live prey in their natural environment. As such, an alternative embodiment is the lizard, with a plurality of legs, each with a plurality of claws, with a U-shaped tail portion.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a plastic lure of a new design which includes a variety of colors duplicating bait fish and other live prey in their natural environment. Thus, the lure is made of solid colors, multi-color bodies, laminate colors, and laser colors.